Permanent magnetic conveyor and elevator



NOV. 4, 1969 wm ETAL 3,476,232

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United States Patent 3,476,232 PERMANENT MAGNETIC CONVEYOR AND ELEVATOR Robert F. Merwin, Erie, Pa., and Fred W. Weiss, Cedar Grove, N.J., assignors t0 Eriez Manufacturing Co.,

Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 26, 1967, Ser. No. 648,862 Int. Cl. B65g 17/46 US. Cl. 198-41 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to conveyors and, more particularly, to magnetic separators and conveyors for removing magnetic material from liquids.

The entire assembly is inserted in a completely sealed non-magnetic housing with a sealed drive shaft extending through the upper part of the housing. It is driven by an externally mounted motor with sprockets and chain. This configuration of the sealed housing is such that a discharge baflie plate is located at the under side of the conveyor just below the drive shaft and upper sprockets. After final assembly, the lower part of the enclosure is filled with lubricating oil through special filler openings. This provides constant lubrication for the chains, guides, and bearings and is not harmful to the magnets.

In operation, the assembly is submerged in a tank, vessel or chute to a position where the upper portion is conveniently located for discharge of the accumulated ferrous material. When the chains of the conveyor are driven, the rollers ride on guides so all of the magnets are positioned and conveyed in very close proximity to the non-magnetic housing. The non-magnetic housing does not insulate the moving magnetic fields, so the magnetic fields attract and hold ferrous particles to the outer surface of the nonmagnetic housing. Since the magnets are moving, the particles move with the magnets, thus, they are conveyed, elevated and moved to that part of the conveyor where the discharge bafile plate is located. Movement of the ferrous particles is interrupted by contact with the baffle plate. The magnets are conveyed past the baflie plate so their influence on the particles is discontinued and the particles are free to fall by gravity, or to be washed or blown off into a discharge area.

The product size and configuration is practically unlimited. It can be built long or short, wide or narrow, straight or curved, with the magnet strength and design determined by the task to be performed.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide an improved magnetic separator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic separator which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and efiicient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved magnetic conveyor.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes 3,476,232 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the magnetic separator according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the separator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the magnetic separator inserted in a tank;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the magnetic assembly.

Now with more particular reference to the drawings, the conveyor is shown supported in a tank, shown generally at 10, which contains a liquid as indicated. The conveyor has belt 11 that is in the form of chains having links 21 and 22 forming spaced continuous members around the rollers 13 and 14. Rollers 13 and 14 include the sprockets 15 and 16 that are supported at each end of the conveyor and are supported on shaft 17 that are in turn supported in bearings 18 mounted to the sealed enclosure 20. The enclosure has a generally horizontal part and an inclined part as shown. The horizontal part is shown under the liquid and the inclined part extends upwardly from the liquid. The flights are made of the back bars 24 which have the permanent magnets 23 fixed to them. The permanent magnets 23 are made of permanent magnetic material and may be fixed to the back bars as indicated and they may be inclined relative to each other so that they will pass around the ends of the rollers 13 and 14 easily.

The enclosure is made of a thin material such as stainless steel sheets and it may be completely sealed to prevent the liquid from the tank entering. Access doors 25 are provided so that the operator may inspect the inside of the enclosure. The motor and drive assembly 28 is supported on the bracket 27. Belt 29 is connected to a pulley 30 which is in turn connected to a shaft 17.

It will be noted that the magnets 23 are spaced in ladder fashion and extend from one chain to the other. The rollers 13 and 14 ride in channel shaped tracks 32 which are fixed to the inside of the enclosure. It will be noted that the magnets 23 move in close proximity to the upper part 34 of the housing and carry bunches of magnetic material 35 along with them over the surface of the upper part 34. The upper side of the bafile plate 36 is inclined at an acute angle to the side of the conveyor opposite the side 34 so that the magnetic material will be diverted from the side 34 as it is carried around the separator. The diverter baffle plate 36 may divert the material to a suitable repository. Thus, as the sprockets 15 and 16 rotate, the magnet 23 will slide along the underside of the cover and carry magnetic material 35 along the top surface and collect it along the bottom surface and discharge it along the bafile plate 36. The entire device may be supported on a frame 39 made up of the legs shown.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A magnetic conveyor comprising a support,

spaced rollers on said support,

spaced permanent magnets,

a continuous belt means on said rollers and attached to said permanent magnets supporting said permanent magnets, and

means to rotate said rollers whereby said permanent magnets are moved in a continuous path,

said permanent magnets being in the form of plate magnets extending substantially from one side of said belt to the other,

said magnets being attached to said chains by means of back bars,

said back bars each being attached to said chains and extending therebetween, and

each said magnet resting on and attached to a said back bar,

a hollow enclosure made of thin non-magnetic material is provided,

said enclosure having two spaced sides generally parallel to each other, and two ends connecting said sides,

said magnets moivng in colse proximity to said sides and ends continuously along their closed path of travel,

said rollers being supported in bearings attached to said enclosure,

a baflle plate is attached to said enclosure below one end thereof,

said baffle plate being disposed at an acute angle to the part of said enclosure to which it is attached whereby magnetic material attracted to said conveyor enclosure is deflected from said enclosure,

said magnets are disposed in laterally arranged pairs along said chains,

said magnets are generally rectangular in cross section and each have a planar side attached to said back bar,

the said planar side of each two magnets of each said pair being disposed at an acute angle to a downwardly facing side of said enclosure.

2. A magnetic conveyor comprising a support,

spaced rollers on said support,

spaced permanent magnets,

a continuous belt means on said rollers and attached to said permanent magnets supporting said permanent magnets, and

means to rotate said rollers whereby said permanent magnets are moved in a continuous path,

said permanent magnets being in the form of plate magnets extending substantially from one side of said belt to the other,

said belt comprises two chains spaced from each other,

and

said rollers comprise sprockets having said chains theresaid magnets are disposed in laterally arranged pairs along said chains,

said magnets are generally rectangular in cross section and each have a planar side attached to said back bar,

the said planar side of each two magnets of each said pair being disposed at an acute angle to a downwardly facing side of said enclosure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,989 10/1927 Blecker 198-41 X 2,708,022 5/ 1955 Pettigrew 19841 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,074,488 l/ 1960 Germany.

1,344,399 10/1963 France.

EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

